Q magazine

ANALYSIS

MEGAN BURNETT

AS MEDIA STUDIES

Q FRONT COVER

The main image uses a close up of the lead singer from the Foo Fighters (Dave Ghrol); this denotes his male features and his band in flames inside of his mouth. He is wearing all black and has long black hair, this gives connotations of power and mystery. The model has an angry facial feature; he has his eyes wide open as well as his mouth. The band have been edited into his mouth surrounded by flames, this represents the music genre of the magazine and band as well as adding a bright colour.

The magazine title uses a large ‘Q’ with the main colours of red and white; these have connotations of fire and strength. White has connotations of power. The logo is positioned at the top left corner and is placed behind the image; this is a typical magazine convention.

Different fonts and colours are used to emphasise certain phrases and key words. Red is used to match the brand colour of the magazine; black is used in order to stand out against the light background. Black has connotations of formality and fear; this links to the image used. Khaki green is used to highlight the name of a band (‘Arctic Monkeys’); this is also used to highlight a phrase on the right justified text column. This colour has connotations of energy and wisdom.

A circle shape is positioned at the top right corner; this has black and white text inside. The word ‘free’ uses a black text to emphasise the word against the remaining white text, this relates to the black text used on the rest of the front cover.

A barcode is an essential and compulsory detail to any magazine; the barcode is positioned under the justified text on the right and above the quote given by Dave Ghrol.

A short tagline is used at the bottom of the front cover; this uses the same khaki green colour as the emphasised phrases above. This uses a different font and text style in order to draw attention to the bottom of the page. This uses a small, ‘rock’ style font.

Q CONTENTS PAGEThe magazine logo is located in the top left hand corner of the page; this is followed by the title. The title uses a bold font in black and red. These colours link to the magazine logo colour, red, and create a house brand for Q; these colours have connotations of power, mystery and desire. The title is located at the top of the page as it clearly informs the reader what this page is about.

The main image denotes a model (Richard Ashcroft) with a very stern, intense facial expression. He is focusing into the camera lens and creates a sense of intimidation yet desirability; this appeals to the female audience. He is wearing typical masculine clothes, these are non revealing and dull. This style choice does not draw attention away from his face and slightly blend in with the dull background.

The name of the model and the photographer name is positioned at the top right corner of the page; this uses a bold red and pale white font. These colours continue the magazine theme and are easy t see against the dull background. This text is very small and does not draw attention away from the main text or image.

The actual contents text is located on the left side of the page. A red box is used as a background for some of the text, this highlights the text that is inside of the box. White is used for the title of the text and is bold compared to the rest; this emphasises the title. White is also used for the numbers down the left hand column, this differentiates the numbers and text. The text uses a simple black font, this allows it to be visible against the red background. White has connotations of perfection whereas red has connotations of energy and danger. The remainder of the contents text uses a white font and a bold effect for the title of each subheading story. This emphasises the text. Red is used to denote the numbers of the stories; this contrasts with the red background and white numbers of the text used above. These colours link in with the theme of Q and create a house brand for the magazine.

A quotation is used at the bottom of the page and uses a red font. The name of the celebrity who gave the quotation and the page where the story can be found, follows the quotation. This uses the same font style however it is in black.

A small red arrow is used at the bottom right corner in order to denote which way the page should be turned to continue reading. This adds colour and creates a symbol used on this page for Q magazine; this colour connotes energy.

Q ARTICLEThe main image used on this page denotes a medium close up shot of the model (Lady GaGa); a black and white effect is used. The model is topless however has a chain type accessory around her neck; she has dramatic make-up and dramatic hair. She has her lips parted and wide eyes that are focused into the camera lens; this presents a provocative and sexy look. This appeals predominantly to the male audience. The black and white effect gives a dramatic, sexual look however it remains sophisticated. Black has connotations of power and mystery whereas white connotes innocence and perfection.

A large, red ‘L’ is located behind the main body text. This emphasises who the story is about and draws the readers attention to read the story about her; red has connotations of desire and love. It also links to the main colour scheme of Q magazine. The ‘L’ is emphasised as it has a different font style to the other text and contrasts with the black and white image; it also fills the whole page.

The emphasised letters for new paragraphs in the story draw the attention of the reader and encourage the reader to read on. These use a much larger and bolder text compared to the text used for the main story; this is a typical magazine convention.

The name of the model and who the story is about is located in the top right hand corner. This informs the reader who the magazine story is about and who she is; this uses a similar font style to the letter ‘L’ and is wrote in black. This links to the house brand for Q and connotes mystery.

The magazine logo and page number is located at the bottom left of the page, under the main focus of the story and image. This maintains the knowledge that this magazine is Q and keeps the reader familiarised with where they are up to in the magazine.

The main body text uses a black, simple font. This makes it easy to read the text and allows it to stand out against the white and red background. The text is structured into columns with a small white space between each column, this makes it easy for the reader to read and allows the page to appear more organised.